Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL Previews - Jacksonville Jaguars

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2007 Jacksonville Jaguars Preview

(My Sportsbook) - It's called the AFC South, but it's starting to bear the unmistakable look of the AL East.

In that five-team baseball division, you can count on the Yankees and Red Sox duking it out for supremacy while three teams watch from somewhere out in left field.

Similarly, the Indianapolis Colts have won the AFC South five times in the five-year history of the division, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have finished with at least a piece of second place three years in a row, pretty much resigned to fight for a Wild Card berth even on the first day of the season.

Before, it was realistic to predict that the Colts might soon fall from grace, but one year after Peyton and the gang brought home a Super Bowl title, you won't find many clear-thinking people picking Indy to do anything other than top the South once again.

The Jaguars, whose last meeting with Indianapolis consisted of a 44-17 thrashing of the eventual Super Bowl Champions last Dec. 10th, are clearly thinking differently.

Jacksonville was just one win from reaching the postseason last year, and that was a team that by the end of 2006 was without former lynch pins like Byron Leftwich, Mike Peterson, Reggie Hayward, and Donovin Darius.

Jack Del Rio's club is one year healthier, and one year more determined after a disappointing conclusion to 2006. Can they manage to get one step closer to mighty Indianapolis in the division?

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the Jacksonville Jaguars, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2006 RECORD: 8-8 (t2nd, AFC South)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2005, lost to New England, 28-3, in AFC Wild Card Game

COACH (RECORD): Jack Del Rio (34-30 in four seasons with Jaguars, 34-30 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dirk Koetter

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mike Smith

OFFENSIVE STAR: Maurice Jones-Drew, RB/KR (941 rushing yards, 46 receptions, 16 TD)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Rashean Mathis, CB (63 tackles, 8 INT)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 3rd rushing, 24th passing, 9th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 4th rushing, 10th passing, 4th scoring

FIVE KEY GAMES: Tennessee (9/9), Indianapolis (10/22), at Tennessee (11/11), at Pittsburgh (12/16), at Houston (12/30)

KEY ADDITIONS: WR Mike Walker (3rd Round, Central Florida), WR Dennis Northcutt (from Browns), TE Richard Angulo (from Bears), T Tony Pashos (from Ravens), G Tutan Reyes (from Bills), DT Seth Payne (from Texans), LB Chris Claiborne (from Giants), LB Justin Durant (2nd Round, Hampton), S Sammy Knight (from Chiefs), S Reggie Nelson (1st Round, Florida), P Adam Podlesh (4th Round, Maryland)

KEY DEPARTURES: FB Derrick Wimbush (released), WR Cortez Hankton (to Vikings), TE Kyle Brady (to Patriots), T Stockar McDougle (out for season/injured), DE Marcellus Wiley (not tendered), DT Tony Williams (not tendered), LB Tony Gilbert (out for season/injured), CB Ahmad Carroll (released), S Donovin Darius (to Raiders), S Deon Grant (to Seahawks), S Nick Sorensen (released)

QB: It is a make-or-break year for Leftwich (1159 passing yards, 7 TD, 5 INT), who has not exactly become a local folk hero in his first 45 starts as a pro. Injuries have hampered the former first-round pick, as has a lack of mobility, and a healthy, productive season is in order for Leftwich in 2007. David Garrard (1735 passing yards, 10 TD, 9 INT) finally got an extended chance to show what he could do last year, opening 10 games, but didn't distinguish himself enough to take the job from Leftwich full-time. Third-stringer Quinn Gray (166 passing yards) has thrown just 36 passes in four NFL seasons, but Leftwich's injury history is a mark in favor of the Jags keeping three quarterbacks again.

RB: Del Rio and new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter have a sticky situation in the backfield, where Maurice Jones-Drew looks ready to become a full- fledged NFL star but veteran Fred Taylor (1146 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 6 TD) has given the team nine outstanding seasons. Complicating matters a bit is the fact that Taylor actually played well last year, averaging a career-high five yards per rush. How Koetter goes about distributing the touches will be a storyline worth noting during the early stages of the season. The battle for the No. 3 running back job is between holdovers Alvin Pearman (89 rushing yards, 1 TD) and LaBrandon Toefield (22 rushing yards), with Pearman seen as having the edge due to his abilities on returns. Fullback Greg Jones is back after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and his presence probably spells the chopping block for second-year man Montell Owens.

WR/TE: If they didn't have Leftwich at whom to direct their ire, Jaguars fans would find themselves busy deriding the team's underachieving duo of first- round receivers. Reggie Williams (52 receptions, 4 TD) and Matt Jones (41 receptions, 4 TD) combined for 93 catches, 1,259 yards, and eight touchdowns a year ago, the kind of numbers many teams look for out of their No. 1 receiver alone. Williams, who led Jacksonville in catches last season, was in danger of being cut as training camp wound down. The top two wideouts on the depth chart were reliable holdover Ernest Wilford (36 receptions, 2 TD) and Browns castoff Dennis Northcutt (22 receptions with Cleveland), with youngsters like Mike Walker, Charles Sharon, and John Broussard all looking good to make the squad as well. Second-year-pro Marcedes Lewis (13 receptions, 1 TD) appears primed for a breakout season at the tight end spot, and his emergence allowed the club to cut offseason acquisition Jermaine Wiggins. George Wrighster (39 receptions, 3 TD) will be the No. 2 tight end after putting up career numbers in 2006, and Greg Estandia and Richard Angulo were vying for the third job during camp.

OL: The Jaguars opened camp with a couple of tough injuries across the front, as center Brad Meester was lost for at least the first few weeks of 2007 with a broken foot and backup guard Stockar McDougle was lost for the year with a ruptured Achilles. The man to replace Meester will be Dennis Norman, who has started a handful of games as a pro and should be fine temporarily. The other new starter up front will be right tackle Tony Pashos, who is reliable but was fairly anonymous during four seasons in Baltimore. The returnees are guards Vince Manuwai (left) and Chris Naeole (right), who are solid, and left tackle Khalif Barnes, who is coming into his own as he begins his third season. Maurice Williams, who started 16 games at right tackle last year, should stick as the top tackle reserve. Fifth-round draft pick Uche Nwaneri (Purdue), holdover tackle Richard Collier, and Bills castoff Tutan Reyes all have a good chance of helping to forge the backup ranks.

DL: The strength of the Jacksonville defense remains the interior line, where Marcus Stroud (21 tackles, 2 sacks) and John Henderson (51 tackles, 4 sacks) are dominating when in the lineup together. Stroud missed five games last year with an ankle injury, and the defense took a noticeable hit when he was down. There are major injury concerns at end, where Reggie Hayward comes off an Achilles injury that cost him his final 15 games of 2006, Paul Spicer (47 tackles, 3 sacks) might end up on injured reserve due to back problems, and fourth-round draft pick Brian Smith is recovering from a broken hip. The healthiest players at the position are Bobby McCray (35 tackles, 10 sacks), who led the team in sacks last year, and second-year pass rush specialist Brent Hawkins (9 tackles, 2 sacks). Depth up front will be provided by Rob Meier (29 tackles, 5 sacks), who can play both end and tackle, fellow holdover Tony McDaniel (16 tackles, 1 sack), and former Texans space-eater Seth Payne (11 tackles, 1 sack with Houston).

LB: The Jaguars were never quite the same after middle linebacker Mike Peterson (32 tackles, 1 INT) went down with a torn pectoral five games into last season, and it didn't help matters that another would-be starter, Pat Thomas, was lost for the year with a hamstring problem in September. Peterson is back and ready to reclaim his spot in the middle, but Thomas has not fully healed and could be headed back to IR. Joining Peterson in the starting lineup will be the ultra-reliable Daryl Smith (88 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) on the strong side, and burgeoning second-year man Clint Ingram (71 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) on the weak side. The Jags used a second-round draft pick on Justin Durant, who is viewed as Peterson's heir apparent and will see most of his time on special teams along with holdovers Nick Greisen (34 tackles, 1 INT) and Brian Iwuh (13 tackles).

DB: After serving as the face of the Jaguars secondary for the better part of nine years, Jacksonville parted ways with strong safety Donovin Darius in a move that had much to do with Darius' age (32) and recent injury problems (Darius played in just 12 of 33 games the last two years due to injuries). The unquestionable top man in that unit is now cornerback Rashean Mathis, who made his first Pro Bowl last season and is courting elite status. Mathis will be paired with Brian Williams (55 tackles, 1 INT), who is a liability at times in coverage but has good instincts. The new safety candidates include first-round draft choice Reggie Nelson, who many viewed as the best pure strong safety in the draft; veteran Sammy Knight (83 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT with Kansas City), who will probably play until Nelson is ready; and blossoming free safety Gerald Sensabaugh (44 tackles, 2 INT), a seven-game starter last season. If one of the corners goes down, the inexperienced Scott Starks (29 tackles, 1 INT) and Dee Webb (17 tackles, 1 INT) would have to battle veteran Terry Cousin (35 tackles, 1 INT) for the spot. The Jags are also high on seventh- round draft choice Chad Nkang (Elon), a college linebacker who is transitioning to safety but is viewed primarily as a potential special teams ace.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Jaguars would like to see more consistency from kicker Josh Scobee (26-32 FG), who has a good leg for kickoffs but has been hit-or-miss in the field goal game. Jacksonville parted ways with punter Chris Hanson in the offseason, using a fourth-round draft choice on punter Adam Podlesh. Joe Zelenka is back for his seventh season as Jacksonville's long snapper. Dennis Northcutt (11.1 avg. with Cleveland) was brought in based partly on his ability on punt returns, but Northcutt looked primed for a bigger role than expected on offense. Alvin Pearman (8.8 punt return avg.) could be back on punt returns if the team wishes to rest Northcutt, and Pearman can also return kickoffs if the Jags are wary of using the electrifying but miniature Maurice- Jones Drew (27.7 avg., 1 TD) there.

PROGNOSIS: Jacksonville has as much young talent as any team in the league, and it will be the job of Del Rio and his staff to get his green unit to answer the bell every week. Much will hinge on the ability of Leftwich to take the next step, which will be easier in the presence of a more-seasoned group of receivers and two very good running backs to offset him. Defensively, the Jags had terrible luck from a health standpoint last year, and better fortune alone should make them a more consistent unit this year. Overall, this club has playoff talent, and could put a scare into Indianapolis in the division if all goes according to plan.

08/28 12:09:28 ET

WagerOnFootball.com - Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions

A big season coming up for Coach Del Rio. Most think he has to make the playoffs to keep his job so we'll see what happens on the coaching front. He's got a playoff caliber defense in place, but the offense has so many question marks. If Leftwich can bounce back from injuries and a true #1 WR emerges, the offense with its 1-2-3 punch at RB (Taylor, G. Jones, Jones-Drew) might finally be carrying its weight.

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